Have you ever examined your motives and activities in the light of the above question? Are the things you do daily in keeping with the sacrifice your Savior made for you? We, Christians, need to examine ourselves in this light. One thing is for sure: Many in our religion spend far too much time playing golf or bridge or watching spectator sports and very little time in self-sacrificing activities for the Christ!!
Said Musa is a 45 year old Afghan who has been in a Kabul, Afghanistan prison since May 2010. He has been beaten, and tortured for converting to Christianity; and now he is being denied the services of a lawyer in Afghan courts, where he will likely be condemned to death according to sharia law.
Another Afghan Christian, Shoib Assadullah, age 25, is in prison in northern Afghanistan for giving a New Testament to another Afghan, who turned him in to the authorities. Assadullah has been locked up since October 21 for that serious crime; he has reportedly not been tortured.
All this is going on despite the fact that Afghanistan is a signatory to the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights stipulating religious freedom, including the freedom to change one’s faith.
www.compassdirect.org/english/country/23987/29549/
If any of my readers are convicted by the above story, I would suggest that they read a new book: RADICAL by David Platt. This book challenges Christians to wake up, trade in false values rooted in the American dream, and embrace the fact that God blesses each of us for a global purpose…. This is a must read for every believer!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Family Situations Worsening in America
A good look at America’s children should tell us that all is not well with the American family: One third of our children are overweight or obese. Nearly a third drop out or cannot finish high school in 4 years. 75% of our youth are ineligible for military service because of poor health, drugs, criminal records, or lack of education.
What is the reason? Poor schools—maybe. Poverty—maybe. But there is a more ubiquitous and insidious reason. 41% of our newborns are born to unmarried mothers. (up from 5% a half century ago). The fact is that young, adult, Americans are just not getting married. For the first time since the census began tallying marriage, the proportion of Americans age 25-34 who had never married exceeded the proportion of those who had been married. Evidence is overwhelming that children of single mothers—particularly teen mothers—suffer disproportionately high poverty rates, impaired development, and low school performance.
A large majority of never-married mothers had close relationships with a partner when their child was born. Many of these women have said to me something like, “I know he loves me; and we are going to get married just as soon as we have enough money—any day now!” WHAT A BUNCH OF NONSENSE!! Those guys are not going to marry their girlfriends when they can get what they want without commitment. The statistics bear out my observation—by the time illegitimate children are 5 years old, most of the fathers are gone, and the children have little contact with them. These unmarried mothers go on to new relationships, and the children are hampered by repeated transitions that do more harm to their development.
America MUST do something about this deplorable situation. We are raising a generation of helpless young adults. If this situation had obtained in 1941, America would not have survived World War II. Our young people would not have been able to serve effectively as soldiers or as civilian defense workers. This country must return to its Christian roots. I believe that Christ and the Bible are the only answer to the problems facing America, today.
This post was largely excerpted from USA Today 1-25-11, page 8A.
What is the reason? Poor schools—maybe. Poverty—maybe. But there is a more ubiquitous and insidious reason. 41% of our newborns are born to unmarried mothers. (up from 5% a half century ago). The fact is that young, adult, Americans are just not getting married. For the first time since the census began tallying marriage, the proportion of Americans age 25-34 who had never married exceeded the proportion of those who had been married. Evidence is overwhelming that children of single mothers—particularly teen mothers—suffer disproportionately high poverty rates, impaired development, and low school performance.
A large majority of never-married mothers had close relationships with a partner when their child was born. Many of these women have said to me something like, “I know he loves me; and we are going to get married just as soon as we have enough money—any day now!” WHAT A BUNCH OF NONSENSE!! Those guys are not going to marry their girlfriends when they can get what they want without commitment. The statistics bear out my observation—by the time illegitimate children are 5 years old, most of the fathers are gone, and the children have little contact with them. These unmarried mothers go on to new relationships, and the children are hampered by repeated transitions that do more harm to their development.
America MUST do something about this deplorable situation. We are raising a generation of helpless young adults. If this situation had obtained in 1941, America would not have survived World War II. Our young people would not have been able to serve effectively as soldiers or as civilian defense workers. This country must return to its Christian roots. I believe that Christ and the Bible are the only answer to the problems facing America, today.
This post was largely excerpted from USA Today 1-25-11, page 8A.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Our Mentally Ill Population is Dangerous
During the 1960's, all of the states practically emptied their mental hospitals in order to avoid encroaching on the civil rights of those inmates who were hospitalized wrongly for supposed mental illness and whose civil rights were being violated by their detention. Hoards of disabled and mentally ill people were turned out on the streets of America to fend for themselves in a society where they were practically helpless. As a result, they became the homeless of America. Many were encarcerated in prisons or just left to forage in the streets, living under bridges and in gutters. In my own experience, many were housed in special wards of low income nursing homes. Their maintenance there is inadequate. These nursing homes do not provide locked environments for the violent and dangerous, so...these patients are free to roam the neighborhoods, acting in bizarre ways--sometimes dangerous to others in the society.
Very inadequate provisions were made for their out-patient care and supervision.
One such person described in the first paragraph is Jared Loughner, the alleged killer of six persons in Tucson. Laughner had exhibited strange behavior causing him to be expelled from his community college because the students and teacher were afraid of him. A few days later, the fatal shooting began.
About 16,000 murders occur in the United States yearly. 10% of these are committed by persons with serious mental illness.
It is far past the time when America should pay adequate attention to the needs of our liberated mental illness patients by providing out-patient care for them. One problem with out-patient care, however is that many patients with chronic mental illness refuse to take medications that are capable of normalizing their behavior.
New York has a law that makes provision for involuntary admission to a mental hospital if the patient refuses to take his court-ordered psychotropic medications.
Other states should follow New York's example in this kind of legislation. Our society should have mercy on these mental patients and on others around them by providing adequate care and supervision.
Much of this blog post was excerpted from the Wall Street Journal 1/12/11, page A15.
Very inadequate provisions were made for their out-patient care and supervision.
One such person described in the first paragraph is Jared Loughner, the alleged killer of six persons in Tucson. Laughner had exhibited strange behavior causing him to be expelled from his community college because the students and teacher were afraid of him. A few days later, the fatal shooting began.
About 16,000 murders occur in the United States yearly. 10% of these are committed by persons with serious mental illness.
It is far past the time when America should pay adequate attention to the needs of our liberated mental illness patients by providing out-patient care for them. One problem with out-patient care, however is that many patients with chronic mental illness refuse to take medications that are capable of normalizing their behavior.
New York has a law that makes provision for involuntary admission to a mental hospital if the patient refuses to take his court-ordered psychotropic medications.
Other states should follow New York's example in this kind of legislation. Our society should have mercy on these mental patients and on others around them by providing adequate care and supervision.
Much of this blog post was excerpted from the Wall Street Journal 1/12/11, page A15.
Friday, January 7, 2011
How To Treat Aliens and Strangers
My wife, Nancy, and I are members of the Board of Directors of Caring Hands Pregnancy Center in southwest Denver. Caring Hands is a Christian compassionate ministry which attempts to help young women with unplanned pregnancies develop other choices for their unborn babies than abortion. In the process of doing that, we offer them free maternity clothes, baby items, counseling services, and community referrals for medical care. One of our main priorities is introducing them to the Savior. Most of our clients are illegal immigrants from Mexico or Central America; they are the poorest of peoples living in the United States. They are under extreme social and economic distress.
Frequently, we ask people to volunteer as counselors or Board members of our organization. Occasionally, Christian people will refuse to work with us, because they think that we are encouraging law breaking and more illegal immigration. They think that instead of helping these unfortunate people with their problem, we should be reporting our clients to the law.
In answer to that objection, we are not a law-enforcement agency; and there is no government regulation that tells us to report these people to the law. Indeed, it is against the law to hire these people; but we are not in the business of hiring anyone. All we are trying to do is to relieve their pain.
Furthermore, the paltry amount of material aid we deliver to our clients is so small that nobody in her right mind would immigrate all the way from Mexico or Central America to get it. Indeed, if all the aid from every compassionate agency in Colorado were poured upon them, it would not add up to anything significant which might stimulate more illegal immigration.
The problem with illegal immigration is a weak and ineffectual Federal Government that is not doing its job of stopping the chaos at the border and that does not establish a useful guest worker program. The job of Caring Hands is to help relieve social and economic pain among our very poor neighbors and to introduce them to Christ.
As Christians, we see very clearly mandates from the word of God for taking care of the alien and the stranger within our gates. For instance, Ex 22:21, 23:19, 23:12; Lev 19:10, 19:33 & 34, 23:22, 24:22; Num 15:16; Deut 10:18, 23:7, 24:14, 17, 19, 20, 21; 26:12 & 13, 27:19; Ps 146:9; Jer 7:6, 22:3; Ezek 22:7; Zec 7:10, the book of Ruth; Matt 25:35, 38, 43, 44.
Strict border regulations in combination with a meaningful foreign aid and guest worker program are not in opposition to Christian principles. But…neglecting the poor and needy among us is in absolute contradiction to Christian principles and practice.
Frequently, we ask people to volunteer as counselors or Board members of our organization. Occasionally, Christian people will refuse to work with us, because they think that we are encouraging law breaking and more illegal immigration. They think that instead of helping these unfortunate people with their problem, we should be reporting our clients to the law.
In answer to that objection, we are not a law-enforcement agency; and there is no government regulation that tells us to report these people to the law. Indeed, it is against the law to hire these people; but we are not in the business of hiring anyone. All we are trying to do is to relieve their pain.
Furthermore, the paltry amount of material aid we deliver to our clients is so small that nobody in her right mind would immigrate all the way from Mexico or Central America to get it. Indeed, if all the aid from every compassionate agency in Colorado were poured upon them, it would not add up to anything significant which might stimulate more illegal immigration.
The problem with illegal immigration is a weak and ineffectual Federal Government that is not doing its job of stopping the chaos at the border and that does not establish a useful guest worker program. The job of Caring Hands is to help relieve social and economic pain among our very poor neighbors and to introduce them to Christ.
As Christians, we see very clearly mandates from the word of God for taking care of the alien and the stranger within our gates. For instance, Ex 22:21, 23:19, 23:12; Lev 19:10, 19:33 & 34, 23:22, 24:22; Num 15:16; Deut 10:18, 23:7, 24:14, 17, 19, 20, 21; 26:12 & 13, 27:19; Ps 146:9; Jer 7:6, 22:3; Ezek 22:7; Zec 7:10, the book of Ruth; Matt 25:35, 38, 43, 44.
Strict border regulations in combination with a meaningful foreign aid and guest worker program are not in opposition to Christian principles. But…neglecting the poor and needy among us is in absolute contradiction to Christian principles and practice.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Do We Need More Taxes or Less?
Liberals say we need more and higher taxes to finance the government. Conservatives say we need fewer taxes to stimulate businesses which will then pay more taxes in the aggregate. Which is true? Let’s take a look at other countries to see how their tax rates effect business.
On 1 January, Canada cut their corporate tax rate to 16.5% from 18% compared to the United States federal rate of 35%. (If you add state corporate taxes to the federal levy, you come up with 40% of total income that United States companies must pay to the government in order to operate in this country.) As a result of these lower corporate tax rates, Canada has enjoyed a boom in investment, job creation, and growth since 1990 when their liberal government started cutting the taxes in order to attract investment to Canada. This is all because companies send capital where it can achieve the highest returns.
The United States ranks second highest in corporate taxes just behind Japan, which is still struggling to correct its economic downturn of the 1990’s.
The high taxes in America prevent hundreds of billions of dollars from coming to the United States in off-shore investments.
Who needs more taxation?!!
On 1 January, Canada cut their corporate tax rate to 16.5% from 18% compared to the United States federal rate of 35%. (If you add state corporate taxes to the federal levy, you come up with 40% of total income that United States companies must pay to the government in order to operate in this country.) As a result of these lower corporate tax rates, Canada has enjoyed a boom in investment, job creation, and growth since 1990 when their liberal government started cutting the taxes in order to attract investment to Canada. This is all because companies send capital where it can achieve the highest returns.
The United States ranks second highest in corporate taxes just behind Japan, which is still struggling to correct its economic downturn of the 1990’s.
The high taxes in America prevent hundreds of billions of dollars from coming to the United States in off-shore investments.
Who needs more taxation?!!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
How To Have A Conversation
Conversation is an art form that we all use daily. We should learn how to do it in a constructive and enlightening way, while keeping it enjoyable to all involved.
Many people seem to be talking at others rather than talking with them. Their “conversation” is one-sided, never taking into consideration what the other person might have to offer or might enjoy.
A good conversationalist will listen actively to the other person and ask penetrating and thoughtful questions as the discourse goes on. Conversation is more about listening intelligently than in talking about oneself.
There are times when two people are together; and no real bond is established between them indicating common interests for discussion. At times like those, one should change the subject repeatedly until some common interest is uncovered; and then, a real conversation can begin.
I believe that conversation should very seldom consist of “small talk” about inconsequential subjects, such as the weather or what was on sale at the grocery store. Surely, intelligent people can find subjects to talk about that have some real and important significance! We have all met someone who has the gift of sniffing out real subjects to talk about. With those people, it is virtually impossible to waste time talking about superficial subjects. To me, those people are to be sought out for inspiring and informative conversation.
Some lead-in comments or questions for initiating a good conversation might be such things as, “Tell me what you have been concerned about lately.” Or, “Have you been reading any books recently?” “Where do you go to church?” There are an infinite number of opening questions that might stimulate good conversation.
Always watch your respondent for signs of “listener fatigue:” Not maintaining eye contact or looking at the wrist watch or shifting stance from one foot to another might indicate that the respondent is tired of the subject being discussed.
Practice good conversation and think about it in advance: What do I want to discuss with the other person? Happy listening and talking!
Many people seem to be talking at others rather than talking with them. Their “conversation” is one-sided, never taking into consideration what the other person might have to offer or might enjoy.
A good conversationalist will listen actively to the other person and ask penetrating and thoughtful questions as the discourse goes on. Conversation is more about listening intelligently than in talking about oneself.
There are times when two people are together; and no real bond is established between them indicating common interests for discussion. At times like those, one should change the subject repeatedly until some common interest is uncovered; and then, a real conversation can begin.
I believe that conversation should very seldom consist of “small talk” about inconsequential subjects, such as the weather or what was on sale at the grocery store. Surely, intelligent people can find subjects to talk about that have some real and important significance! We have all met someone who has the gift of sniffing out real subjects to talk about. With those people, it is virtually impossible to waste time talking about superficial subjects. To me, those people are to be sought out for inspiring and informative conversation.
Some lead-in comments or questions for initiating a good conversation might be such things as, “Tell me what you have been concerned about lately.” Or, “Have you been reading any books recently?” “Where do you go to church?” There are an infinite number of opening questions that might stimulate good conversation.
Always watch your respondent for signs of “listener fatigue:” Not maintaining eye contact or looking at the wrist watch or shifting stance from one foot to another might indicate that the respondent is tired of the subject being discussed.
Practice good conversation and think about it in advance: What do I want to discuss with the other person? Happy listening and talking!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Try Journaling—You Will Appreciate it Later
This post is to recommend to our young correspondents the value of journaling your life experiences and daily activities. We have a friend who has journaled his life daily since graduating from high school. He can tell you where he and his family spent Christmas in 1984, who was there, what were the significant gifts, what happened, what dinner was like, etc., etc. The information he can glean from his journal is most interesting and even inspiring. He and his wife have fun looking into that old journal after fifty plus years of notations.
Twenty years ago, my wife and I were missionaries in West Africa. We had many very interesting experiences in those days; but, alas, we did not keep a record of them in written form, and now we cannot remember many of them. I wish we had kept a journal!
I recommend that journals be kept in an old-fashioned logbook. It would, perhaps, be easier and more economical of space to do it on a hard drive or in some other electronic medium; but one never knows in these days of rapid technology advancement, if hard drives or CD’s will be around in 40 years.
Happy journaling!
Twenty years ago, my wife and I were missionaries in West Africa. We had many very interesting experiences in those days; but, alas, we did not keep a record of them in written form, and now we cannot remember many of them. I wish we had kept a journal!
I recommend that journals be kept in an old-fashioned logbook. It would, perhaps, be easier and more economical of space to do it on a hard drive or in some other electronic medium; but one never knows in these days of rapid technology advancement, if hard drives or CD’s will be around in 40 years.
Happy journaling!
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